8th chapter
When Minna entered the living room, she saw a Christmas tree, decorated in all different kind of colors, contrary to what she was used to see, where mostly two different colors were used. Especially red and golden, which seemed to be the most common color scheme for Germans.
She noticed her friends standing in a corner, deep into a conversation with some of the Denali coven. Her eyes landed on a couch to her left. Both sides were empty, so she took a seat without a second thought. She didn't mind to sit alone in a room full of other people, she was rather relieved to have found a more silent corner. It didn't take long until Carlisle and Esme entered the living room as well, both carrying trays with glasses filled with blood. They went to everyone and gave them a glass before they walked over to the Christmas tree, everyone's eyes trained on them.
"I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me and my family through this. You can't imagine how much that means to me, to all of us." Carlisle smiled warmly holding his wife in a tender embrace. He raised his glass and continued, "Thank you and Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas", came the united response of the guests and happy chatter and the sound of chinking glasses could be heard. Minna raised her glass at the others and put the glass on her lips. She hesitated for a moment, the smile faltering as she noticed the other people celebrating. She closed her eyes for a split second, trying to swallow the feeling to be unwanted before she realized that she got company. The seat pad next to her sank a little and by the movement someone must be across from her as well.
She opened her eyes only to be met by the sight of an untouched glass of blood being hold in front of her. "It seems you have no one to clink your glass with." Vladimir smiled at her his glass raised at her waiting for her response. To her left sat Stefan with a an almost unreadable but friendly expression on his face. Minna blinked a few times to realize the situation. A smile spread on her face and she slowly moved her glass to Vladimir's. As soon as their glasses touched, he nodded at her slightly. She replied in silent gratitude and turned to Stefan. They repeated the procedure before the three vampires took a sip.
None of them wished a 'Merry Christmas' of some sort. Minna didn't mind and the Romanians were far older than the so-called messiah that was celebrated that day. They remembered the celebrations with their coven so many years ago. This was nothing compared to what they were used to, but in a strange way they enjoyed it.
"You were on the cliff again, I assume?", Stefan started an took another sip from his almost empty glass. Minna hesitated for a moment. "Yes, though it was a little too cloudy this morning." A smile appeared on her face but it didn't reach her eyes. "What happened?", the concern in Vladimir's voice surprised her. The stern gaze at her made her blink a few times. "Oh, just reliving some old memories", she answered in a low voice and put her empty glass on the table. The sadness in her voice couldn't be overheard. "The time I lost everything, it just came over me", her voice was even lower and shaky to those listening careful enough. Minna looked around, wondering if anyone in this room paid any attention to them and their conservation. But everyone else seemed to be minding their own business and talks.
She shook herself inwardly, pushing the memories aside, which worked easier than she thought. The smile appearing on her face after, was real. "How about you?" – "Walking around, observing", Vladimir started. "Annoying some shapeshifters here and there", Stefan continued a small laugh escaped his throat at the thought. For a moment Minna felt watched and looked back to the crowd, where she was met with an almost fearful glare of Amun.
She frowned and looked back at the Romanians who both shared a grin. The German wondered what caused Amun to be acting like that, not that she knew him in any way. "Don't worry about him," Stefan said. "We have a long history", Vladimir ended and looked over to the ancient Egyptian vampire, the grin on his face still shown but it seemed almost evil somehow. Amun switched his concentration back to his coven and shoved them to a place even further away. An amused chuckle could be heard of the Romanians who both emptied their glasses and put them on the table as well.
"Where do you reside in Germany?" The question caught Minna by surprise. "Well, I'm a nomad. Mostly spending my time in the Black Forest, sometimes near the North Sea. I have no preferences, just not too crowded", she explained. Minna looked at the men with a questioning look. Eager to know how they live, but too insecure to finally ask. But the question was written in her eyes, clear for everyone to see. The older vampires knew what she wanted to know, but said nothing at first. She still had so much to learn.
"One of our old castles, mostly", Vladimir finally answered, noticing the change in her eyes. Minna nodded in silent gratitude, but hated herself for her insecurity as well. As soon as he mentioned their old castle, Minna was eager to see it, but she wouldn't dare ask about it. It seemed rude to her. She loved old castles, as much as open fields and forests.
"It is open for visitors, you know." The dark smile on his lips only showed the double meaning to his words. Sure, the castle was open, just some humans wouldn't be able to walk out again. She also caught the indirect invitation, which boosted her confidence and the smile on her face widened.
"Minna." The German heard the low voice of Siobhan through the crowd and looked into the direction. When the Irish coven finally made their way through, the situation became somewhat awkward. Siobhan and Liam looked at the Romanians in a defensive manner. They didn't expect them to sit with their friend. They, on the other hand, didn't change a bit. They looked at the three other vampires as if they came for an audience.
Minna wasn't sure how to react, which is why she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The Romanians, having enough of that whole celebration, stood up simultaneously, their eyes fixated on the Irish coven. As they were about to leave, Vladimir turned to Minna once more. He held out his hand, looking directly into her red eyes. She hesitated for a moment, before she put her hand in his. The next thing that happened was far beyond her imagination.
He pressed a light kiss on the back of her hand, as it was normal back in the day. His eyes never leaving hers. "We will leave you to other company", he started. "See you soon, principesă!"
Within the blink of an eye, the Romanians disappeared out of the house. The four vampires needed a moment to sort their thoughts and Minna felt as if she could still feel his hand on hers. An unknown feeling spread inside her, a warmth and something she couldn't classify, but she somewhat enjoyed it, while her mind tried to process. Maggie was the first to move, taking a seat next to Minna. Liam and Siobhan quickly followed across from them. Apart from them, no one seemed to have noticed anything. Everyone went about their usual behavior, chatting, laughing and enjoying a peaceful evening.
Almost a minute passed until Siobhan quickly shook her head. A smile appearing on her face again. "Merry Christmas, Minna", she said. Liam and Maggie following shortly behind. The latter put an arm around Minna's shoulders and gave her a small hug. The German leaned into the hug, putting a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Merry Christmas", she replied with a smile.
"You know our offer is still valid", Liam said with a grin on his face. Minna knew that he was talking about her joining their coven. "And I still appreciate it", Minna answered, "I will think about it, once we're back home." When she took a look around, she noticed that some of the other vampires already left. Given that most of them were nomads, like her not used to be crowded, it was only natural. Her eyes landed on Kate and Garret, who were in a deep conversation with her coven, the arms around each other in a more than friendly way.
"The Denali's seem nice", Minna started. Siobhan followed her gaze. "Yes, they're lovely people, kind and Garret seems to fit in nicely." – "They look happy together."
"They're probably mates", Liam said, laying an arm around Siobhan, who smiled lovingly at him. "Mates? Like in soulmates?", Minna asked confused. "Yes," Siobhan answered, "it is rare, very rare to find yours. Lots of vampires never find their perfect match. But that doesn't mean they don't find love." Minna thought for a moment about her friend's words and looked around. She said it would be rare, yet somehow most of the people here had found their mate. But those vampires were by far not the majority of their race. Maybe she just met those who were lucky enough. She shrugged it off, but deep down she was wondering if Vladimir and Stefan lost their mates in the fights with the Volturi, which would even more explain their lust for revenge.
After a short while, Minna noticed Esme collecting all the empty glasses. She quickly excused herself and took the glasses on the table. She picked up some more and followed Esme into the kitchen. With a smile she put the glasses next to the sink. "Thank you", Esme said with a smile adjusting the temperature of the water. She began cleaning the glasses and put the clean but wet glasses onto a drip tray.
Minna took a towel and started drying. Both worked together in complete silence for a few minutes. "I envy you; you know." Esme looked at the woman but let her continue. "Your lifestyle, your family, despite our nature." Minna sighed and put the dried glass on the table behind her.
"Why is that?", Esme started. "You have your friends, the Irish." Minna looked back at Esme. "I know, I love them, but I don't think that I could live with them. I'm not ready." Her voice got quieter the more she spoke. Esme smiled warmly at her. She paused her actions for a moment and laid a hand reassuringly on Minna's arm. "That is okay. If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine and I think they do understand that." Minna returned the smile and Esme continued cleaning the last few glasses.
The two women worked together for a good amount of time. When all was done, Esme put the glasses in a cupboard above. Suddenly Minna felt selfish. Esme surely had more things to be worried about than a mere nomad with minor issues. "I'm sorry, Esme. I didn't want to bother you."
As Minna was about the leave, Esme turned to her. "You don't bother me, Minna. I told you, you can talk to me," she started, "and I'm sure happiness will find its way to you sooner or later." The German nodded at her and left the house. She stood on the porch, inhaling deeply. Her eyes watched the night sky. The moon above, shining like every other night again, but still. The more time she spent here, the more different it appeared. Or maybe it was her who changed. She couldn't tell, but deep down she was glad and ready to embrace the change.